Antinori - Solaia 2017 - Toscana IGT - 75cl

Climate
2017 will be remembered as an unusual vintage in its course. Winter, characterized only in the month of January by a generally cold climate, continued with mild temperatures, favoring the early budding of the vine. The sudden drop in temperatures at the end of April generated a slight drop in production. From May until the end of August, the Chianti Classico area was affected by a generally hot and dry climate, with daily temperatures often above 30 ° C. The rainfall in September partially rebalanced the summer stress, allowing the grapes to ripen well. The harvest took place from 20 September to 6 October.

Total annual rainfall: 724.6 mm

Average temperature: April 1st - October 6th: 20.4 ° C

Rainfall: April 1st - October 6th: 299.6 mm

Vinification
The attention was very high, both in the vineyard during harvesting and in the cellar, where the grapes were de-stemmed and the berries, before being gently pressed, carefully selected at the sorting table to be then transferred by gravity into the tanks. It is essential that only the perfect grapes reach the conical winemaking tanks of 60 Hl. During fermentation and maceration, also taking into account the particularity of the vintage, attention to maintaining a correct balance between the fruit and the quality of the tannin, oriented towards sweetness and fragrance, was crucial. Once the skins and the wine have been separated, malolactic fermentation begins which, in barrique, enhances the complexity and pleasantness of the wine. The refinement process takes place in new French oak barrels for about 18 months. After an initial period of aging in separate batches, these are assembled to complete the evolution in wood.

Notes from the winemaker

2017 will be remembered as an unusual vintage in its course, characterized by low production and a generally dry climate. It is in vintages like this that the experience and knowledge of the vineyard play an even more fundamental role. If 2016 is shy and introverted, Solaia 2017 tells itself right away through its extrovert character. Rich, intense and enveloping, it maintains the elegance and balance that have always characterized the style of the wine.

Historical data
Solaia is a vineyard of about 20 hectares facing south-west between 350 and 400 meters above sea level. on a rocky limestone soil with alberese and galestro rock, located at Tenuta Tignanello. The Antinori family produced this wine for the first time with the 1978 vintage; the initial blend was 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, which was repeated in 1979. In subsequent years a 20% Sangiovese was introduced and some corrections were made in the ratio between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, up to get to the current composition. Solaia is only produced in exceptional vintages and was not produced in 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984 and 1992.

Tasting notes
Solaia 2017 has an intense and deep ruby ​​red color. The nose is striking for the intense notes of ripe dark fruit, with sensations of blackberry and blackcurrant that alternate with balsamic hints of fresh mint and myrtle; the bouquet is completed by refined spicy aromas of white pepper and toasted cinnamon and cocoa powder. On the palate it is rich and enveloping; the soft, velvety and vibrant tannins give length to the finish and persistence in the aftertaste, where the toasted notes perceived on the nose return.